Ch. 19 Teaching Speaking Teaching by Principles by H. D. Brown

Oral Communication Skills in Pedagogical Research 1. Conversational discourse -The demonstration of an ability to accomplish pragmatic goals -Teaching conversation are extremely diverse, depending on the student, teacher, & overall context of the class. 2. Teaching Pronunciation

Oral Communication Skills in Pedagogical Research 3. Accuracy & fluency -How shall we prioritize the two clearly important speaker goals of accuracy & fluency? -Message oriented/ Language oriented 4. Affective factors Anxiety, language ego = “you are what you speak!”

Oral Communication Skills in Pedagogical Research 5. The interaction effect interlocutor effect 6. Questions about intelligibility 7. The growth of spoken copora-corpus linguistics 8. Genres of spoken language

Types of Spoken Language Interpersonal(interactional) dialogue: familiarity with context, interlocutors, and purposes of communication occurs in relationships. Transactional dialogue: to inform, explain, transmit particular sets of knowledge with specific goals.

What Makes Listening Difficult? 1. Clustering 2. Redundancy 3. Reduced forms 4. Performance variables: “thinking time” “fillers” 5. Colloquial language 6. Rate of delivery 7. Stress, rhythm, and intonation 8. Interaction

Microskills of Oral Communication The importance of focusing on both the forms of language & the functions of language Micro-/macroskills of oral communication: See Table 19.1

Types of Classroom Speaking Performance 1. Imitative -Drills offer an opportunity to listen & to orally repeat certain strings of language that may pose some linguistic difficulty- phonological or grammatical See 329 for successful drills 2. Intensive 3. Responsive

Types of Classroom Speaking Performance 4. Transactional (dialogue) 5. Interpersonal (dialogue) A casual register, Colloquial language, Emotionally charged language, Slang, Ellipsis, Sarcasm, A covert “agenda” 6. Extensive (monologue )

Principles for Designing Speaking Techniques 1. Use techniques that cover the spectrum of learners’ needs, from language-based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning, & fluency. 2. Provide intrinsically motivating techniques. 3. Encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful contexts.

Principles for Designing Listening Techniques 4. Provide appropriate feedback & correction. 5. Capitalize on the natural link between speaking & listening. 6. Give students opportunities to initiate oral communications. 7. Encourage the development of speaking strategies.

Teaching Conversation Indirect approach Direct approach Students acquire conversational competence, peripherally, by engaging in meaningful tasks. Critical of task-based instruction, which Richards labeled an indirect approach “the focus is on using language to complete a task.”

Teaching Conversation The prevailing approach to teaching conversation: the learner’s inductive involvement in meaningful tasks as well as consciousness-raising elements of focus on form Sample tasks A. Conversation-Indirect (strategy consciousness-raising) B. Conversation-Direct (gambits)

Teaching Conversation C. Conversation-Transactional (ordering from a catalog) D. Meaningful oral grammar practice (modal auxiliary would E. Individual practice : oral dialogue journals F. Other interactive techniques

Teaching Pronunciation Affect factors 1. Native language 2. Age 3. The quality & intensity of exposure 4. Innate phonetic ability 5. Identity & language ego 6. Motivation & concern for good pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation Techniques for teaching different aspects (capitalize on the positive benefits of the six factors.) A. Intonation-Listening for pitch changes B. Stress-contrasting nouns C. Meaningful minimal pairs

Focus on form & error treatment Role of feedback-cognitive feedback must be optimal in order to be effective. Too much negative cognitive feedback leads learners to shut off their attempts at communication. Too much positive cognitive feedback serves to reinforce the errors of the speaker-learners. The result is the persistence, & perhaps the eventual fossilization of such errors.

Focus on form & error treatment The affective & cognitive modes of feedback are reinforcers to speakers’ responses. Global & local errors Students in the classroom generally want & expect errors to be corrected. Some methods recommend no direct treatment of error at all.

Focus on form & error treatment Language classroom- a happy optimum between some of the overpoliteness of the real world & the expectations that bring with them to the classroom Seven “basic options” complemented by eight “possible features” within each option-p. 347 See a model for treatment of classroom speech errors (Fig 19.9-p.349).

Assessing speaking Item types & tasks 1. Imitative tasks 2. Intensive tasks 3. Responsive tasks 4. Interactive tasks 5. Extensive tasks Evaluating & Scoring: pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, discourse features, task acoomplishment

Phases of Teaching Speaking Pre/Before-speaking Activity While/During-speaking Activity Post/After-speaking Activity